A “Snapshot” of Yinghua Academy

We are a tuition-free public elementary school serving K-4th grade in the 2007-2008 school year.  We will add 5th grade in the 2008-2009 school year.  During the fall of 2007 the Yinghua Academy Board will begin to work with our parents to ensure that our students have an excellent option when they continue to 6th grade and beyond.

During the 2007-2008 school year our program will include:

• Kindergarten and 1st grade – Full immersion in Mandarin Chinese;
  
  
• 2nd grade – Full immersion in Mandarin Chinese + 45-60 minutes of English Language Arts every day;
  
  
• 3rd and 4th grade – Academic content taught primarily in English + 45-60 minutes every day of instruction in the Mandarin Chinese language;
  
  
• A wide range of Chinese cultural experiences for all students.

Our school day is 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM.  We also offer a fee-based before-school program from 7:00 -8:30AM and a fee-based after-school program from 3:30 – 6:00 PM.  The after-school program offers music, art, and physical education as well as time to work on homework.

Yinghua Academy has adopted the Core Knowledge Sequence, in conjunction with the Minnesota State Academic Standards, as the foundation for our curriculum.  Our teachers have developed many of our lesson plans and materials that we can offer strong academic content, while teaching primarily in Mandarin Chinese in grades K-2nd.  We have also implemented Singapore Math in all grades.

Overall, the goal of Yinghua Academy is to help our students to:

• Do well in all academic subjects, including English Language Arts;
  
  
• Perform well on state-mandated standardized tests administered in English;
  
  
• Be able to speak, read, and write in Mandarin Chinese appropriate to their age level and instruction model;
  
  
• Acquire an acute cultural understanding of China and other countries of the world for more effective participation as global citizens.